Storage space is at a premium for nearly everyone these days. Since 87% of Americans live in small or medium-size homes, finding additional storage has become a hot topic. The good news is that every home, no matter its size, has potential storage space that goes unnoticed. These simple but creative solutions can help you gain extra storage in unexpected places.

After you read through the tips, take a second look around your home for hidden storage space.

Look for furniture that serves more than one purpose, such as a coffee table with built-in drawers, a side table that also functions as a display case for collectibles, or chests and tables with enclosed cabinets.

Buy benches and ottomans with hinged tops for out-of-sight and easily accessible storage.

Find an armoire or entertainment center designed to fit smaller rooms and create enough extra space to store everything from old photo albums to linens or electronic equipment. Or look for one that fits into a corner. Multiple drawers and shelves maximize their holding capacity.

Use a sleeper sofa and chair as perfect multi-use furniture in bedrooms or other living areas of your home.

Look for a couch made with built-in drawers hidden beneath the seat cushions.

Under-the-bed storage boxes fit in tight, narrow spots; some even have wheels for easier access. Just slide the boxes under a bed frame to store out-of-season clothes, gift wrap, kids games or just about anything else.

Increase the space in a child’s room by using a bed platform with built-in drawers.

Kids will help keep things out of the way and off the floor if a row of wooden pegs line one wall of their room. Make sure the pegs are within the child’s reach.

Store toys and books in low shelves and secure bins that won’t fall over. Old chests and trunks also make creative tables with toy-storage capability.

Use a wall hanging with storage pockets as a great space saver for keeping coloring books, pencils, rulers and other small items together in one place. Buttoned pockets help keep sharp scissors or glue out of reach of a toddler who shares a room with an older child.

Canvas and wooden clothes hampers make excellent, easy-access containers for toys. Use a large hamper for stuffed toys and a smaller one for books and puzzles.

Store seldom used clothing or other materials inside your luggage and travel bags rather than just storing them empty.

Use your oven for hiding seldom-used pots and pans, but remember to remove them before turning on your oven.

Choose a sturdy folding step stool to help you access out-of-reach storage space without requiring much of its own.

Reduce paper clutter in the kitchen by hanging a bulletin board or magnet board on an unused wall.

Save space in your freezer with lightweight, vinyl-coated wire units, designed to double stack things on a pantry shelf. Just lean the units against a side or back wall to store small juice cans and large frozen items in the same vertical space.

Place small jars like spices on inexpensive plastic turntables, so they’ll be at your fingertips with just one spin.

Transform a jumble of pan lids by mounting lid racks on cabinet doors or the inside of a pantry door.

Fit an unused corner with a high cabinet that features adjustable shelves to accommodate towels and other bath accessories.

Mount storage racks to the inside of cabinet doors. Those used for plastic wrap and tin foil work fine for small bathroom items.

Consider buying or building a small, wall-mounted cabinet for use above the vanity, toilet or tub.

Put your bathroom door to work with hooks that can be used to hold towels, robes, or mesh bags filled with toiletries or bath toys.

Baskets, boxes, or other containers work well for your prettiest towels and other bathroom linens.

Rolled-up towels fit beautifully in an inexpensive wine rack. Each curved bottle holder stores a towel and saves under-counter storage space. Attach two wine racks to the bathroom wall to hold even more towels.

Tuck an armoire into a corner for a one-stop office that becomes a pretty piece of furniture with its doors closed. Look for one with a foldout desk for even more usable space.

Use a corner desk to convert an area of the bedroom or guest room into a home office. A small corner desk only needs space to accommodate 30″ on each side, and a 14″ depth to accommodate a computer monitor and accessories. Corner desk units that include a hutch require about 52″ of height. Look for one with a raised shelf for the monitor and a slide-out keyboard shelf.

Buy office equipment that can be rolled out of the way when not in use. Also, place inexpensive casters on file cabinets to create moveable storage space.

Free up floor space with shelving units that hang on the wall. Wall hooks or pegs can also provide additional off-the-floor storage in your home office area.

Remove doors from a closet to transform it into a home office, complete with desk, computer, file cabinet and shelves.

Get rid of clutter in your storage shed or garage by organizing yard tools. Fasten 16-inch scrap 2 X 4s at a slight upward angle to each side of a wall stud. This allows you to hang a wide variety of tools within easy reach.

Tack an old leather belt along the edge of a shelf to store hand tools.

Keep socket wrenches easily accessible by securing them to a lightweight chain, and hang them on the garage or shed wall.

Use empty bleach bottles as nail organizers. Just cut out a section of the top and store them on their side or upright. The handles make for easy carrying.

Recycle blackened, neglected muffin tins in the garage as holders for small fasteners, nails, eye-screws, washers, electrical parts and more.

Mount pegboard wherever you can in a shed or garage, including the inside faces of cupboard doors. Hang items like paintbrushes, adjustable wrenches, extension cords, hand tools and much more.